"More Than The Game" Art Exhibition by Phil Airoldi

Both Cape Cod and East Devon, each with their own uniquely beautiful landscapes, have attracted hundreds of artists, both amateur and professional, over the centuries.
Phil Airoldi, who lives in Brewster, is one of those artists with a passion for the Cape Cod countryside and the outdoors which he conveys through his paintings.
“I often paint what I call the ‘Hidden Cape’, little pieces of Cape Cod that have a cozy personal feeling – a backyard, an opening on the bike path, a lazy stream through the woods.” Above: "Catching the action. Eldredge Park, Orleans. Pastel
Baseball as a source of inspiration may seem unlikely for such a painter, but as a human experience Phil Airoldi finds it as powerful as any landscape.

He is currently exhibiting at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod in South Yarmouth over 40 pastel and acrylic paintings that depict the unique world of the Cape Cod Baseball League. The show, called "More Than The Game" has taken nearly five years to produce.

Right: "Southpaw signs" Acrylic


“I love baseball,” he explains, “and there is no better or purer example of the game than the Cape Cod Baseball League – a summer league for college all-stars. While feeling the cool Cape Cod breezes and warmth of the fading sun, watching the interaction of the players and fans, and inhaling the aroma of freshly popped popcorn at a Brewster Whitecaps game, it occurred to me that there was nothing better. If I really wanted to paint what moved me, what I loved, this was it.”
Above: "Star spangled" Acrylic

In much the same way that some of his work reflects the intimacy of the Cape Cod landscape so his Cape League paintings describe intimate settings with interaction among a few people, be they players, fans or volunteers. “Light is always an important issue in my work whether it is a sunrise over a hazy marsh or the fading evening light warming the fans at a Cape League baseball game.”

Phil Airoldi studied art at the University of Massachusetts and Westfield State College.
He was an art teacher at Comprehensive High School in Chicopee, Massachusetts for 25 years and a guidance counsellor for seven until he retired in 2003. He has been a working artist for most of his life, exhibiting and showing his work since the mid ‘70s. His work can be found in many private collections across the country.
Above: Phil Airoldi at work

He is a member of the Cape Cod Art Association, The Creative Arts Center in Chatham, MA, the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, and Nauset Painters.

“More Than The Game” runs until 21 June 2009. 10% of any sales are being donated to the Cape Cod Baseball League.
Phil Airoldi’s work can be seen online at http://www.capecodchamber.org/admin/events/

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